Posts Tagged ‘Koblenz’

Day 6. 76km. Koblenz – Limburg

Posted: September 18, 2014 in Cycling, Germany
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I woke to rain, and the rain remained looming all day. But the sun poked out too as I cycled along the beautiful Lahn valley, endowed with steep wooded sides and pretty villages.
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I’m starting to leave the heartland of my life of the last 21 years. I have been here before, but it is not my home territory. And I’m on the road alone. This will be my life for the next 2 years. I love it.

I watch the geese glide over from above, skim, and then land on the water. The waves radiate out and lap on the shores of the green watered river, flanked by steep wooded hills. Perched on the top of the highest hills are castles. The bike path hugs the shore a lot of the time, occasionally climbing to a castle or view before dropping again. The weather stays grey, raining briefly in Bad Ems and Nassau.
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Today also had physical challenges to test my strengthening body. Suddenly the bike path left the Lahn and zig-zagged up to the crest of the valley before rolling down again a few kilometres later. It was steep and moderately long. And I made it. Bring on the Passo del Stelvio.. 🙂
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The sun came out for me in Limburg an der Lahn. I was here with my father many moons ago. There is a quaint city centre with a labyrinth of cobblestoned streets and fachwerk houses. The place was swarming with tourist, as well as some bike tourists (like me). The sun was at its brightest when I was at the famous cathedral. Very pretty, and a nice end to the day.
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Day 5. 74km. Bonn – Koblenz

Posted: September 17, 2014 in Cycling, Germany
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Cycling through the sun with Dirk Tenhündfeld. We climbed the Drachenfels and rolled along the Rhein – Dirk on a heavy public rental bike. The sunset in Koblenz was amazing.
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Tomorrow the big purchases must stop. I now have a new webcam – one that works. I also have a new helmet – one where the strap can be tightened.
Today I had a new cycling companion – Dirk Tenhündfeld, an old friend from the Aachen days, who now lives in Bonn. He came with a clunky Call-a bike, all ready to make it up the steep Drachenfels near Bonn.

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Drachenfels is an imposing hill on the Rhein River with a ruin perched on the top. There’s also a train that goes up, and lots of tourists (like us). The view at the top is pretty special looking along the Rhein in both directions. The ride down was even better – a good road, and panoramas rolling out in front of us, opening out around each corner.

My ‘Drahtesel’ – as the German newspaper calls my bike – is much better than a call-a-bike (rental city bike). Poor Dirk had to struggle the whole way, and the pace got slower and slower. I wanted to make it to Koblenz today, and so we parted ways, Dirk took the train for the last 35km, and I sprinted to burn off some built up energy. We met for a lovely dinner in the market square in Koblenz.

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